Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-18
DYM0miter6s

ANY man VINO Is cOWardly enough
to use dynamite in public places,
whether it destroy life OF not, ought
to be killed. If he is crank, SO
much the greater reason that he
should be speedily put out OF the
way. This world is made for people
to live in; not to be killed in; and
the rule should be to dispose of in
the quickest manner every wretch
who works himself into the belief
that he has a mission to destroy life.
A blow al med at the people is an act
of Overt treason. Every human be-
ing has the right to protection from
the murderous vagaries of assassins
especially is this right sacred
against the jeopardy Of death by dy-
namiters in public places. If they
are monomaniacs who indulge in this
murderous pastfme, SO much the
greater reason for their instant sup
preston. This world is made for
sane people to 60 through their sane
ways in security. We kill the taran-
tula and the rattlesnake because by
their nature and their instinct they
are armed against us. Why should
we not kill the crank whose nature
End tortuosity of brain is constant
menace to our lives? When wretch
makes a dynamite machine and un-
dertakes to satisfy his homicidal ma
ture by trying TO explode it in a con-
gregated crowd, he forfeits all claim
to pity, for he exercises the power OF
reflection. He is pitiless in its ex-
tremest sense. His insanity is the
alienation that belongs to the mur-
derous brute; but, unlike the mur-
derous brute, be has the reasoning
power of the higher animal, which
renders him a more danger GUS enc
my. Insanity it may be, but it is in
sanity with a method to kill, not an
individual, but the human car
nation of his antipathy. To
get at that, he will sacrifice all
that comes in his way. How can we
have the ordinary sentiment of con-
sideration for such an assassin?
Why should we refine the arguments
in favor of ordinary mental alienation
to make it apply to wretches who
reason like the mad bull? The Ma
layan who runs a-muck slashes right
and left. He is crazy, no doubt; but
life has its rights, and he is cut down
without conjunction. So, the wretch
who hurls his Internal petard into
crowd. He is insane, but the crowd
has the right of life, which he disre-
gards-and his should be forfeited in
spite OF his insanity. Indeed, his in
sanity, on account of Its reasoning
ought to make him pecu-
lIarly the object OF quick destruction,
for lenity to him is death to others.
The law should adjudge the punish
ment of death, and death alone, to
all who seek to compass their ven
geance by unusual methods. That
they resort to these methods is the
best proof that they know what they |
are doing, and are, therefore, in that
Irame OF mind which carries with it
The crazed wretch
who seizes a hatchet and kills the
object OF his aversion, is the victim
Of a mania that can be reasoned into
responsibility. But the morbid
hater who deliberately manufactures
dynamite bombs knows what he is
doing, and is unquestionably respon-
sihle. 1t is question whether the
iunatic with the ha.chet ought to be
dealt with the same as sane mur.
derer; but there can be no question
that the morbid wretch who deliber-
ately arranges his plans of compass
ing real or fancied vengeance by the ,
use Of dynamite is sane enough to be .
Fesponsible. He is the common
enemy OF mankind, and the quicker
he is put out Of the way the better for
The people, who should be secured Il
rom such monsters. i